Robin's First
by whereslucas32
Summary: Dick very quickly discovers how lacking Damian's childhood was due to the fact that he was raised by assassins. Dick makes it his mission to rectify this as soon as possible. A series of one-shots exploring the firsts in Damian's life. Takes place during the time that Bruce is 'dead.' Mostly Dick and Damian with occasional appearances by other Batfamily members. All fluff.
1. Disney Movie Marathon

**Disclaimer: **DC owns the Batfamily, not me.

**AN:** So I have been writing these little one-shots for a while now. Years, in fact. I'm only just now getting around to actually publishing them here. This one is actually the second one I wrote. The first was Robin's First Christmas, which originally was meant to be a completely stand-alone story, but inspired me to write more of the firsts in Damian's life, because, of course, Dick would want Damian to experience all of the things that most _normal_ children experience. I have a whole list of firsts that Damian needs to experience and have written quite a few of them already. Enjoy!

**Robin's First Disney Movie Marathon**

Dick Grayson grinned mischievously from his perch high above the ground below him. His target had just entered the Bat Bunker. He used to do this all the time when he was younger; hide as far up as he could climb, then drop down on his unsuspecting victim in an attempt to startle them. He'd managed to surprise Tim and Jason before and once even Alfred, but never Bruce. It was time he continued the tradition on Bruce's son. And now he had "The Batman" on his side.

"Grayson! Pennyworth informed me that you were down—"

Dick dropped down, right in front of Damian, spreading out the cape, trying to look as scary as he could. "Beware the Batman," he growled, using the same deep voice that he'd heard Bruce use so many times when trying to send Gotham's criminals into a coma induced by fear alone. "Boo."

"… here. Grayson!" Damian remained stoic as ever, merely narrowing his eyes in annoyance. So Dick's master plan was a failure after all…. "Quit fooling around and let's get down to business."

Dick grinned and burst into song, striking a few different fighting poses. "To defeat the Huns."

Damian's eyes flickered from Dick to the paper he held in his hands, confused. "I was under the impression we were going after Hatter tonight…."

Dick's mouth opened ever so slightly. Sure he didn't expect Damian to burst out in song with him, but the kid acted like he didn't understand the reference at all. "Wait, you've never heard that song?"

Damian merely raised an eyebrow. Oh. Of course. This was Damian he was talking to. Now that he thought about it, it really wasn't a surprise he'd never seen _Mulan_. It probably wasn't required viewing material when trying to raise one's son to be an assassin.

"Do you know who put the glad in gladiator?" Nothing. "The three ingredients to make one fly are faith, trust, and…." Damian rolled his eyes, merely assuming that Dick was now trying to annoy him.

"Grayson, I do not have time for your foolish antics. We have work to do."

So Damian hadn't seen _Hercules_ or _Peter Pan_ either. Dick frowned. He probably hadn't seen any Disney movies. Disney movies should be a staple of every kid's childhood and it was absolutely unacceptable that this wasn't the case with Damian. Even as they headed out to foil whatever it was that Mad Hatter was planning, Dick was making a plan of his own.

"I have another mission for us," Dick said later when they were in the Batmobile. "After we take care of Hatter, of course." Damian looked up, interested in the idea of a mission. Dick continued, "It will take us all day Saturday so don't plan anything."

Damian seemed confused. "Are we going undercover?" he asked, surely wondering what other type of mission could take up a whole day.

"Hmm, kind of," Dick lied, trying to make Damian interested in this particular 'mission.' "Let's just say there is a lot of research involved."

"Research," Damian growled with a disdainful frown. Dick knew that was his least favorite part of the vigilante gig. Damian much preferred punching things.

"No, it's fun research! I promise!" Dick insisted, flashing Damian a huge grin.

"You and I have very different ideas of fun, Grayson." Which was completely true, as Dick had already learned after trying to convince Damian to do other "fun" childish activities.

"Just trust me on this one, Dami. It'll be great."

* * *

When Damian came down for breakfast Saturday morning, he was partially still in his pajamas, but also partially wearing his Robin suit. Dick tried to suppress a laugh at how adorable he looked wearing Robin's tunic with a pair of dinosaur pajama pants.

"I was going to put on my uniform, but was unsure of the appropriate attire for today's mission," he explained, noticing the smile that Dick was trying and failing to hide.

Alfred walked in at that moment and gave Damian a disapproving look. "Master Damian, you know we do not allow costumes outside of the bunker."

"We have a mission, Pennyworth," Damian insisted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's okay, Lil' D. We won't be needing our costumes. In fact, you can wear whatever you want. But make sure to dress comfortably." Damian nodded then headed back upstairs.

"And please return your uniform where it belongs, young sir," Alfred called after him. When Damian was gone, he turned to Dick, who was grinning like mad, with a curious expression. "And what, dare I ask, is today's mission?"

"Disney movie marathon," Dick proclaimed. Alfred couldn't help but smirk. "Which by the way, I'm going to need popcorn and smoothies for."

"Am I to assume that Master Damian does not know that particular piece of information." But the huge grin on Dick's face was answer enough.

Damian returned a few minutes later, now wearing sweatpants and a plain tee shirt, and joined Dick and Alfred at the breakfast table. Throughout breakfast, Damian had tried his best to get Dick to reveal what this top secret mission was, but the only information he'd managed to coax out of him was that it was 'fun' and they were watching movies. The latter part was only an attempt to keep Damian from making good on his threat to stab the older man with his fork until he relented.

Damian was now getting very suspicious. "Movies? Grayson, I am beginning to suspect that perhaps there is no mission and this is another of your many attempts to 'bond' with me." Damian put airquotes around the word bond, saying it as if it were a poisonous substance in his mouth.

"Course not, Dami. I swear, these movies that we're watching are purely for educational purposes."

"Tt."

"Plus there will be popcorn."

* * *

As soon as they both had finished their breakfast, Dick dragged a reluctant Damian into the living room where Dick had already laid out every single animated Disney movie he had managed to find in the penthouse on the floor. Dick had already made a pile of the ones that Damian _had_ to watch. These were the ones that had always been listed as favorites by the rest of the family. Dick's personal favorite was first on the list: _Peter Pan_. Since he was a little boy, Dick had always wanted to be Peter Pan. The kid could fly and he never grew up. That had always seemed like the perfect life for Dick. Plus he fought pirates so that just made him ten times more cool. Dick had also chosen another of his favorites, _Robin Hood. _Sure Damian probably already knew the story of Robin Hood, but the Disney version had cute little animals in it.

He'd also chosen two of Jason's favorites as well: _Aladdin _and _Treasure Planet_. The first was about an orphaned street kid who becomes a prince and the second about a kid with a troubled past who not only has the adventure of a lifetime, but finds a surrogate father figure after his own father leaves him. Of course they were Jason's favorites. Tim had always enjoyed the tale of Hercules as he was able to relate to the boy who wasn't sure where he belonged and tried his hardest to please his father, only to discover that his place was elsewhere after all. Tim was also a fan of Pixar movies because he was fascinated by the process of CGI animation and all of the technology behind it and the work that was put into it, so Dick included _Toy Story_ and _The Incredibles_ in the to-watch list, the former being a classic that every child should see and the latter just being a movie that he hoped Damian would be able to relate to.

Babs enjoyed _Beauty and the Beast_. She very much identified with the bookworm who was willing to sacrifice herself for her father. Stephanie always had a hard time choosing just one favorite Disney movie, but Dick knew that she preferred the princess movies. While Dick knew that Damian would hate him for making him sit through a movie like _Cinderella_ or _Sleeping Beauty_, Dick had to include at least one princess movie for 'educational purposes.' So Dick chose _Tangled_, which was always in Stephanie's top three anyways. And finally, Cass's favorite Disney movie, _Mulan_, which of course he had to include anyways so Damian would get the Huns reference. And because Dick wasn't a total control freak, he was going to allow Damian to choose a few movies from the assortment on the floor.

Damian was currently holding up _Monster's Inc_. "And what, pray tell, is educational about this?" he asked with a scowl. Dick snatched it out of his hands and held it protectively against his chest.

"Well if I told you, there wouldn't be a point in watching it, now would there?"

"These are movies for children."

"And your point is?"

"I am _not_ a child," Damian insisted crossing his arms and glaring at his older brother.

"I will have you know that I am twenty-five years old and I still enjoy each and every one of these movies. You, however, are ten and have yet to see any of them. That is why our mission is to spend the day watching as many as we can squeeze in."

"I have more important things to do besides watch these disgraceful childish… _things._"

"If you don't cooperate and sit here and watch them with me on your own than I'll just tie you to the couch and make you watch them anyways."

"You will do no such thing."

"Oh really?" Dick turned his attention from Damian to the doorway. "Alfred!" he called. Damian froze. He hadn't been expecting the older man to bring Pennyworth into this. The butler soon entered the room.

"Yes, Master Dick?" he asked.

"It seems we may have to implement Cautionary Protocol Seven after all," Dick said. Damian wasn't sure what Cautionary Protocol Seven was, but he didn't think he wanted to find out.

"Ah, yes. I will bring out the electrical tape, pliers, and wiring right away, Sir," Alfred said. He turned to leave, but not before offering Dick a wink that went completely unnoticed by Damian. Dick turned back to Damian and raised his eyebrows expectantly at him. Damian did not want to admit it, but with both Grayson and Pennyworth conspiring against him, he knew he had been defeated.

"Fine! I'll watch your stupid movies with you," Damian pouted. Dick smirked.

"Never mind, Alfred! Just bring the popcorn and smoothies!" He called after the old butler.

Damian found a lot to complain about during the first half of Peter Pan and he voiced those complaints loudly from where he was slumped on his half of the couch. "The opening credits are taking forever," was the first one barely thirty seconds into the movie. "Oh God, they couldn't find _anyone_ who knows how to sing?" was the next. Dick had tried to ignore him, knowing this was simply Damian's way of letting the world know just how displeased he was, but finally fifteen minutes into the movie he'd grabbed a pillow and smacked Damian on the head with it, threatening to put Cautionary Protocol Seven back into action if he didn't shut up and just enjoy the movie.

And so Damian had suppressed his insults, but remained hunched over in his seat, arms crossed over his chest, and eyes narrowed as he glared at the screen. But little by little, Dick noticed, that glare dissipated. While it was far from a smile, Dick knew that meant that Damian was enjoying the movie far more than he let on.

"So what did you think?" Dick asked when it was over as he removed the DVD from the DVD player and placed it inside its case.

"Hmph. Peter Pan is a brash fool. And his fighting technique is absolutely horrendous. What exactly was supposed to be educational about a boy wildly brandishing a knife at an incompetent pirate?"

"Well, the lessons we can learn from Peter Pan are not necessarily lessons in fighting. Instead we can learn to embrace change and the fact that you will eventually have to grow up. You must enjoy your childhood while it lasts."

Damian was silent for a moment, thinking. Finally, "That is the most idiotic thing I've ever heard, Grayson. Let's just watch the next movie and get it over with." Dick smiled. Typical Damian.

The next movie was _Aladdin_. While Damian made repeated gagging noises and constantly rolled his eyes during Aladdin and Jasmine's romantic carpet ride, any other time Dick snuck a glance at the boy he had his eyes glued to the screen, clearly very interested in the events unfolding before him. When asked what Damian was supposed to be learning from this movie, Dick responded, "Genie said it: be yourself."

"As incapable of ruling as that Sultan was to rule, it is even more unacceptable for him to allow someone of such low class to take over the kingdom."

"Did you not hear what I just said? In the end it didn't matter whether Aladdin was a prince or how much money he had. All that mattered was that Jasmine loved him for who he was."

"A good ruler would never make decisions based on love," Damian asserted with a scowl.

"It's just a movie, Dami. No need to be so offended by it. Plus, I know you liked it."

"Did not!" But the slight reddish color that was coming to his cheeks gave away his lie.

"Yeah, whatever. You'll like the next one, for sure. It's about a family of superheroes. Kind of sounds familiar, right?" Dick winked at Damian who merely took a sip of his berry smoothie in response.

Dick hoped that watching The Incredibles would not only give Damian a little insight on how to be a hero, but even more so, how to be a _family_ of heroes. Especially with his father dead, Damian needed to count on the remaining family members no matter how much he disliked the idea.

Dick could tell that Damian was especially enjoying this movie; the wide-eyed expression said it all. Damian tried to hide it, but Dick managed to catch him gazing at the television in anticipation of what would happen next. Damian's excitement finally came to a head in the climactic scene when Damian jumped up from the couch and yelled, "No, you fool! The robot knows about the remote!" Dick laughed and Damian abruptly sat back down, slouching as low into the couch as he could. Dick reached over and patted his shoulder, giving a smile.

"Is this movie the reason you don't like wearing a cape?" Damian asked when it was over. Dick laughed.

"No, I don't like the restricted movement that comes with a cape dragging behind me. You know me, I can't get through a fight without jumping all over the place." Dick gave him a wink as he got up to change the DVD. "Listen, Lil D, you probably don't have to worry about your cape getting snagged on something. It's never happened to any superhero in real life."

"Yet," Damian muttered under his breath.

Dick didn't notice that while he was sorting through the DVDs, Damian had made his way over to the pile as well, now kneeling beside him, looking curiously at all of the DVDs in front of him. He picked up one, _The Little Mermaid, _inspected it, then tossed it aside. He picked up another, _Tarzan, _looked it over, and then put that one down as well.

"You want to pick the next one, Dami?" Dick asked. Damian didn't answer him but instead picked up _The Lion King _and examined the case. He didn't notice the strange, uncomfortable look on Dick's face.

"What is this one about?" Damian demanded.

"Err, well, the prince of the lion pride has to get revenge on his uncle after he takes over the kingdom."

"So, the plot of Hamlet then."

"Yeah, I guess. Hamlet with singing lions," Dick said uneasily. It wasn't that he didn't like _The Lion King_. In fact, he loved it. It was just that one scene….

"This one, then." Damian said as he opened the case and put the disc into the DVD player. They settled back onto the couch and Dick mentally prepared himself for what was to come. Meanwhile, a mask of indifference had once again settled on Damian's face. As "Circle of Life" began to play, Dick wondered if he should warn Damian about Mufasa's death. After all, his own father had just died. He eventually settled on not telling him and let the movie play out.

When the stampede scene finally came around, Dick noticed Damian's eyes go as wide with horror as Simba's did. They watched as Simba desperately tried to run through the stampede and make it to safety. When Mufasa showed up, Damian relaxed a bit. Surely the bigger lion would not let his son be squished. But then, the unspeakable happened.

Mufasa was falling. And Simba was watching, helpless to do anything.

_Dick stood high above the crowd, watching his parents swing through the air on their trapezes, the proudest smile on his face. Any second now his mother was going to reach out her arms to him and he was going to take her hands and join them. _

_He heard a snap. His eyes shot up to the wire holding up the trapeze that both his mother and father were currently on. His eyes widened in horror as the rope snapped. He called out to his parents, trying to warn them, but it was too late._

_His parents were falling. And he was watching, helpless to do anything._

Dick squeezed his eyes shut, trying to rid himself of the memory, but as soon as it was gone, a new one replaced it.

_Superman holding Batman's lifeless, tattered body. Bruce's body. His _father_'s body. Once again he'd been unable to do anything to stop it. _

Dick couldn't hold back the tears that sprang to his eyes. Knowing that Damian would berate him for crying, he stood up and left the room, making the excuse that he was going to refill his smoothie. Dick did refill his smoothie using the leftovers that were still in the blender from the last time he and Damian had requested refills from Alfred, then sat at the table, staring blankly ahead, not even touching his drink.

When he was younger, and his parents' deaths were still fresh in his mind, he couldn't get through The Lion King without sobbing. He still remembered the first time he'd watched it after Bruce had taken him in. Alfred and Bruce had bought him a bunch of Disney movies, hoping to make him feel more at home. They hadn't realized what effect this particular movie would have on him at that point. He still remembered the way he'd cried and cried into Bruce's shirt until he had no more tears left, screaming about how Simba didn't deserve what had happened to him and how if he ever met Scar he'd kill him. Bruce had let him cry, trying to tell him that "Simba" would be okay, but they both knew he wasn't talking about Simba and they both knew that wasn't true.

Dick looked up when he heard footsteps in the kitchen. His eyes followed Damian as he crossed the length of the room to the counter, refilled his own smoothie, then sat down across from Dick, looking down at his lap.

"You okay, Dami?" Dick asked.

"I don't think I like that movie," Damian said quietly. Dick offered him a sad smile.

"It gets happier," he said. "It's actually a really good movie."

"What idiot would trust someone named Scar?" Damian hissed angrily.

"Well, he is Simba's uncle," Dick said with a laugh.

"That idiotic cub should have died in his father's place for his imprudence." Damian was silent for a moment, looking down at his hands. "He did not deserve to die." And Dick realized that Damian wasn't talking about Simba anymore. He got up from his chair and moved to the chair right next to Damian and wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulders, pulling him against his side. Damian tensed up, but didn't try to push him away.

"No, he didn't," Dick agreed, "but there was nothing either of us could have done to save your father. You know that, Damian."

Dick removed his arm from Damian's shoulders and they sat together in silence for a few more minutes, occasionally taking sips from their smoothies. Finally, Dick asked, "Well, we could finish _The Lion King_, get to the happy parts, or we could watch something different. It's up to you, Dami."

"Let's… watch something different," Damian said after a moment of thinking and they made their way back into the living room, once again kneeling down in front of the pile of DVDs. Dick watched Damian as he sifted through the pile, pushing aside any of the movies he deemed uninteresting (most of which seemed to be the traditional princess movies, Dick noted), finally pausing when he picked up _Oliver and Company. _After looking at the picture on the front, he flipped it over to read the synopsis.

"Oh, you'll love this one, Dami," Dick said. Damian looked up at Dick with a doubtful expression on his face. Usually anytime Dick said that Damian would enjoy something, he ended up not enjoying it. "Trust me on this one." Making an executive decision, Dick took the case from him and inserted the disc into the DVD player.

They continued watching movies well throughout the day. Dick suspected that Damian was enjoying himself more than he let on and had even said that watching Oliver and Company was an "adequate way to spend one's time." As night began to fall, Damian's eyelids started to droop and it became harder for him to focus on the movies. It wasn't long before he fell asleep entirely in the middle of _Finding Nemo_. When Dick was sure he was asleep, he took to running his fingers through the boy's hair, careful not to wake him. When _Finding Nemo _was over, he carefully picked up his sleeping brother and carried him upstairs to his bedroom and tucked him into bed.

Before heading to back down to the cave to go out on patrol, Dick leaned down and kissed Damian's forehead. "Goodnight, Lil D." He made his way to the door and stopped before turning off the lights. "Now that we've got you watching these movies, I think a trip to Disney World might be in order." He grinned to himself, already planning the trip in his mind, then flicked off the light and left the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Well, I have had this written for _years_ now, so it's nice to finally have it published.

Like I said, I have a lot of these written and a lot more planned. If you have any ideas of "firsts" for Damian, feel free to let me know and if it's not something I've already thought of, I'll see if I can add it to my list!

Hopefully tomorrow (or sometime in the next few days), I'll be posting Robin's First Easter. As far as other updates go, I'm hoping to update _at least_ every other week. Once the semester ends I should hopefully have more time so updates might be sooner over the summer.


	2. Easter

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Batfamily (I also don't own anything Disney, which I forgot to mention in the last chapter).

**Robin's First Easter**

It was unusually quiet when Damian woke up. He didn't think much of it at first as he was usually awake before Grayson anyways, but when he noticed that Pennyworth was not in the kitchen preparing breakfast, he began to grow wary. Before getting too worried, however, he decided that he should do a thorough sweep of the penthouse before settling on the idea that Grayson and Pennyworth were both missing.

He first checked Grayson's room, which was empty. The bed was even made, meaning that Pennyworth had to at least have been around long enough to make it because Grayson sure as hell didn't make it. Next, Damian checked Pennyworth's sleeping quarters. No sign of the butler there either. After an extremely comprehensive search of the penthouse, Damian decided that they were not, in fact, there.

But Damian was not worried yet. There was still the Bunker to check. Perhaps Grayson had been awoken by an emergency that Batman needed to take care of and he and Pennyworth had gone downstairs to take care of it. If that was the case, Damian was slightly irritated that Grayson had not awoken him, but he knew that the older man would have thought it was important for Damian to sleep. But Damian made his way down to the Bunker anyways, hoping that was, indeed, the case.

"Grayson!" he called when he exited the elevator. "Pennyworth, are you down here?"

There was no answer. Damian was now starting to get anxious. "Grayson, if this is your idea of a sick joke, it isn't funny! Where are you?" Still no answer. "And Pennyworth, it is absolutely deplorable that you are playing along with this."

Damian made his way further into the Bunker towards the computers. Perhaps Grayson was out? Maybe something on the computer could give him a clue. Damian approached the large swivel chair and made to sit down in it only to discover that the chair was already occupied. Sitting on the chair was a laptop and a bright green, egg-shaped, plastic object. Confused, Damian investigated the laptop first. He turned it on only to discover that it required a password.

Frustrated, Damian set the computer aside and moved on to the plastic egg. After turning it over in his hands a few times, he realized that it had an opening in the middle. Damian knew better than to just open something that could potentially be dangerous (Grayson was constantly telling him to think _before_ he acted), but for all he knew Grayson and Pennyworth were in trouble.

Taking a deep breath, Damian snapped the egg open, waiting for an explosion of some sort. When none came, he let out the breath he was holding and peered inside the egg. All he found was a folded up piece of paper. Setting the egg down, Damian examined the paper and unfolded it to read its contents.

_Mister Damian Wayne,_

_As I'm sure you have already discovered, Richard Grayson and Alfred Pennyworth are not where they should be. In order to find them, you need to log onto the laptop which will reveal their location. However, the laptop has been encrypted by one of the greatest minds on the planet. You will require a password. The egg that you are holding is just one of twelve. Inside each egg is a clue as to what the password to the computer is. The remaining eleven eggs are hidden on the grounds of Wayne Manor. I'm sure you know how to get there. _

_I hope to see you soon,_

_The Easter Bunny_

"The Easter Bunny!?" Damian growled, clenching his fists. "What kind of supervillain name is that? He must some sort of holiday themed villain." He crumpled up the note and tossed it onto the chair. "No matter. If this Easter Bunny has harmed Pennyworth and Grayson, he will pay dearly."

Damian began to make his way to his motorcycle, only to remember that there was probably a protocol for this type of thing. If Grayson and Pennyworth were kidnapped, then perhaps he should contact Oracle or Drake? And someone had clearly been _inside_ the Bat Bunker. This was suddenly bigger than Damian knew how to handle. This Easter Bunny character had addressed him using his _real name_. This person knew who he was.

_They had been compromised. _

Damian rushed over to the computer and immediately tried to contact Oracle. If this person had been inside the Bunker, then perhaps she could dig up footage or at least some sort of clue. When there was no response from Oracle, Damian swallowed his pride and attempted to get ahold of Drake. There was still no answer. Had they been captured as well? Was he alone? There was only one more person he could think to call and that was Brown. He hated that he was resorting to this, and he honestly didn't think she was capable of helping anyways, but Grayson was clearly in trouble. Desperate times called for desperate measures, indeed.

Brown didn't answer either. He really was alone in this. Damian ran to his bike and began the drive to Wayne Manor.

In his haste, Damian missed a second piece of paper that had fallen, neglected, to the ground. It read: _Happy Easter, Damian! I hope you enjoy our game. Alfred and I will see you at the finish line with candy so come hungry!_

* * *

"Well, looks like he's off," Dick said to Alfred, gazing down at a handheld screen in his hand.

"He seems quite flustered," Alfred observed.

"Oh, it'll be fun! Besides, how else am I going to get him to search for Easter Eggs? He certainly won't do it if I just told him to. I have to educate him in the ways of Easter egg hunting." Growing up under the tutelage of the League of Assassins, Damian had never experienced the tradition of hunting for Easter Eggs on Easter Sunday. He'd never been given a basket full of candy and he'd never been told the story of the Easter Bunny. Damian never had Easter and Dick was right that he wouldn't _want _to celebrate simply because someone told him he should.

Alfred looked to the young man beside him. It really was quite the genius plan Dick had come up with. He'd even gotten Barbara, Tim, and Stephanie in on it as well. Barbara had provided the laptop with top notch security and all three had been sworn to secrecy when Dick made them promise not to answer if Damian tried to contact them.

"Come on, he'll probably be here soon so we should make ourselves scarce."

* * *

Damian jumped off his bike immediately upon arrival at the Manor and began his hunt for the remaining eleven plastic eggs. He had been expecting them to be hidden in hard-to-find locations, but even as he was passing through the gates, he saw one. It was wedged in between two of the spokes on the top of the gate. Damian found this to be a bit odd. Was this some sort of trick? Was this supposed to give him a false sense of security? Surely finding all of the eggs wouldn't be this easy.

Nonetheless, Damian had climbed up the gate and plucked the egg from its hiding spot. He popped it open and found another slip of paper as well as a few Hershey's Kisses. Damian decided that he would not touch the candy, fearing that it could be poisoned or otherwise tampered with. Instead, he focused on the paper. All that was written on the paper was the letter "A." Frustrated, Damian shoved the paper into his pocket and continued his search for the remaining eggs.

He searched _everywhere_. He checked in bushes, under rocks, in the garden, in the highest branches of the tallest trees. He had even climbed the Manor itself in his search for these elusive eggs. His search had been meticulous and methodical and he made sure to cover every square foot of the land owned by his late father. Finally, after nearly two hours of searching, he had all twelve eggs and all eleven clues.

He had soon discovered that the clues merely consisted of one digit each. Damian assumed that, when put together and scrambled up, they would reveal the password to access whatever clue was on the laptop. The letters he had were as follows: A, E, E, H, P, P, O, R, S, T, Y.

_Easy Prophet?_ Nope.

_Shape Poetry? _No.

_Erase Thy Hop?_ Still no.

Damian tried every combination of letters that crossed his mind, but none of them seemed to be working. He was so frustrated that he had considered simply smashing the computer. He restrained himself, however, because he knew that the laptop was his only hope of finding Grayson and Pennyworth and returning them home safely.

It was then that Damian realized that perhaps this villain had already given him a clue. The _Easter_ Bunny. Of the eleven letters that he had, six of them spelled out Easter, leaving only H, P, P, O, and Y.

Easter Pophy?

Easter Pyhop?

And then it hit him.

_Hoppy Easter_.

Hoppy because he's supposedly a rabbit? Damian didn't quite understand the phrase, but it worked when he typed it into the computer and that was all that mattered. He breathed a sigh of relief as the password was finally accepted and a map of Gotham appeared on the screen. Across the top of the screen were the words "_Misters Grayson and Pennyworth are at this location."_ Below that, Damian found a large X on the center of the screen.

"Robinson Park," he said as he wrote down the exact coordinates. Then, not wanting to wait another second, he ran back to his bike.

* * *

When Damian arrived at Robinson Park, he was met with a horrifying sight: children all throughout the park were gathering brightly-colored plastic eggs. Had the Easter Bunny kidnapped more than just Grayson and Pennyworth? Failing to notice that these children were not frightened, but rather _happy_, Damian hurried on his way. The only chance he had to stop this menace was to follow the clues and find Grayson.

Damian continued to the specified coordinates, preparing himself for the worst. When he arrived in the area, he noticed that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There were no children in this part of the park so it was much quieter, but aside from that, Damian did not see what was so special about this location. The thought occurred to him that perhaps the location was meant to be underground. Maybe he was supposed to be looking for the entrance.

He began to comb the area, looking for anything suspicious. Just as he was about to check the map again, just to make sure he hadn't come to the wrong spot, he noticed something sitting in the grass. As he approached it, he realized that it was a stuffed rabbit. Propped against the rabbit was a paper folded in half. On the front was his name. Alert, Damian knelt down next to the rabbit and picked up the paper.

_If you want to know where Richard Grayson is, turn around. _

Damian tensed. In the time that he had knelt to examine the toy, someone had approached him from behind. Clenching his fists, Damian slowly stood up and turned around, ready to pounce if necessary.

"Happy Easter, Damian!" a chipper voice said to him.

"Grayson?" Was this some kind of trick? Standing in front of Damian was the man he'd been searching for. He had a broad smile on his face and in his hand he was holding a large basket full of candy.

"You found me!" Dick congratulated the boy.

Wait. Had this all been just a _game_? A _joke_? Damian's eyes narrowed. Damian tightened his fists and, with an angry battle cry, he ran at the older man and tackled him to the ground. Surprised, Dick wasn't able to hold his stance and fell backwards, the basket of candy flying to the ground.

"Grayson, you idiot!" Damian shouted, pounding his fists into Dick's chest. "You were safe the whole time?"

"Whoa, Dami, what's wrong?" Dick asked, grabbing Damian's arms, stopping the boy's punches.

Damian was breathing heavily as he struggled to break free. "Unhand me!" Dick gazed into his brother's eyes and he realized that he knew that look. He had seen it before in Jason's eyes. Damian felt _betrayed_. A wave of realization washed over Dick as he sat up and embraced the furious boy in his arms.

"Damian, I'm so sorry. Did you not get that this was a game?" Dick asked, trying to sooth his brother.

He hadn't realized the effect this would have on him. When Dick had come up with the idea, he had imagined that Damian would embrace the challenge of solving the mystery of Dick and Alfred's disappearance. He had included the message revealing that this was in fact a game because he didn't want Damian to panic. Had Damian not seen it? Had he been worrying this whole time, afraid that Dick and Alfred were actually in danger? And now to see that he was perfectly safe….

Damian had stopped struggling, but he was still shaking. "I'm fine. I'm safe. So is Alfred. I promise, no one is in any danger," Dick said. "It was supposed to be a fun Easter-themed game and I didn't think it would get this out of hand. I'm so sorry, Dami. I didn't mean to worry you." They were silent for a moment. Dick kept his tight grip on Damian, waiting for him to calm down.

Finally, when he felt Damian's breathing return to normal he asked, "You want some candy?"

Dick heard an angry growl before he felt both of Damian's hands pushing against his chest. Damian successfully escaped from Dick's hug and stood up. "No, I don't want any of your stupid candy, Grayson."

Dick stood up, picking up the basket of candy. "But I bought it all for you! There are little chocolate robin's eggs, some peeps, some jelly beans-" Dick's list of candy in the basket came to a halt when the stuffed bunny collided with his face. "All you had to say was 'no.' No need to take your anger out on the poor bunny," Dick said, grinning.

"That is only the beginning of my revenge, Grayson."

Dick jogged to keep up with Damian. "I'll be ready for it." As they walked out of the park, Dick placed his hand on Damian's shoulder. "You'll never be alone, Dami. I promise." Damian didn't respond, but Dick was sure that he felt the boy lean into his touch ever so slightly.

* * *

**AN: **Thanks for the reviews/follows/favorites guys! Damian might be a little traumatized by Easter after this, unfortunately. The next update won't be this fast, but it will be soon, I promise.


	3. Snowday

**Disclaimer:** I own none of the Batboys.

**Robin's First Snowday**

Damian scowls as he stares out the window. All of Gotham was covered in over a foot of snow, with more flakes adding to that every second. Damian hated the snow. It was completely impractical. It was wet, cold, hard to maneuver in, and worst of all, you can't cover your tracks when travelling in the snow. Needless to say, Damian was not excited to see the world covered in white. Unfortunately, he was the only one.

"Damian! Why are you still in your pajamas? Come on, we have a lot to get done today," Dick exclaimed when he saw the boy curled up on the chair next to the window. Damian glanced up to see Dick dressed from head to toe in thick, puffy layers, complete with a knitted hat and a scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. Damian scoffed and turned the volume up on his iPod. "Oh, no you don't!" Dick said, grabbing Damian's hand. "You aren't skipping out on this, Dami!"

"I hate the snow, Grayson," Damian said, jerking his hand back.

"But who am I going to play with?" Dick pouted. "Who will build a snowman with me? And go sledding with me? And I certainly can't have a snowball fight by myself." Damian looked up at the mention of a fight. Dick noticed. "I'll give you a free hit in the face if you come with me!"

"I get to hit you in the face?" Damian asked.

"With _snow_, yes," Dick said, smirking. "Consider it a training exercise for combat in the snow."

Damian considered it. Snow could be quite painful and it would give him great pleasure to see Grayson squirm…. Finally, Damian stood up. "Alright, fine. I'll participate in your stupid activities." Dick beamed.

"Better get dressed then! We're leaving in ten minutes!"

Ten minutes later and Dick and Damian were standing in front of the closet. Dick had insisted that Damian wear a heavy winter jacket and was now searching for gloves, a hat, and a scarf for the boy. "Alfred will kill me if you get sick because you didn't wear enough layers."

Only when Dick was sure that Damian would be warm enough did they grab the sleds and leave. They headed down the elevator and outside. Dick led Damian down the street to a nearby park. "I've always thought that the grounds around the Manor were the most fun for snowdays, but it would be nearly impossible to get there without using the snowmobiles that are supposed to be for Batman and Robin," Dick said as they walked. "So for now, we'll just head over to the park. One day, though, I promise I'll take you sledding on that hill behind the Manor." Damian allowed Dick to make that promise. He had no intentions, however, of letting him follow through with it.

Damian trudged along behind Dick in silence. Internally, he was complaining about how terrible the snow was and how horrible it was to have to walk in it, (why hadn't the sidewalk been shoveled and salted yet?), but he didn't dare say a word out loud. He knew that Dick would only respond with how ridiculous he was being and begin a long, involved speech about how wonderful the snow was.

They soon arrived at the park and Damian looked around disdainfully. There were a few other children crazy enough to venture out in this weather, but for the most part, the snow was still untouched. Dick's eyes lit up as he grabbed Damian's hand and ran further into the park, picking a spot for the pair of them to play.

"Let go, Grayson!" Damian yelled. Damian's wish was granted, but only because Dick had to let go of Damian before falling straight back into the snow. Dick moved his arms and legs in a way that made it look like he was trying to do jumping jacks flat on his back. "Grayson, what are you doing?"

"I'm making a snow angel, Dami. Why don't you join me?" Dick continued his frolicking, but Damian did not join in. Instead, Damian picked up a handful of snow and began to shape it into a ball. Now was the perfect time to attack Grayson, while he was distracted by the making of his angel. Smirking, Damian tossed the ball directly at Dick's face.

When the snow hit him, Dick froze. He was so still that Damian was starting to worry that he'd actually harmed him. Then, "Ahhhh! Damian, that's really cold!"

"You told me I was allowed to hit you in the face with some snow, Grayson," Damian said nonchalantly as Dick sat up, rubbing his now-red face.

"Yes, I did say that, but I wasn't done with my snow angel yet." Damian shrugged. That wasn't his problem. He turned, hoping to go find a bench, brush off the snow, and sit down. He didn't get very far before he was tackled from behind and fell face-first into the snow, his attacker falling with him.

"Grayson," Damian growled. Dick's only response was to laugh.

"Hey, you attacked first." Dick stood up, then held out his hand to help Damian up, a wide smile on his face. Despite how cold the snow was, that smile seemed to fill Damian with a sense of warmth. Damian took his offered hand and allowed himself to be helped to his feet. "Come on, let's go sledding."

Dick bent over, picked up the discarded sleds and led Damian towards a small hill nearby. "It's nowhere near as big as the hill at your dad's place, but it'll do for now," Dick said, beginning his trek up the hill. There were a few other people already sledding down. At the top he turned to Damian. "Do you want to race?"

"A race? I will win of course," Damian challenged.

Dick shrugged. "Sure you will, Damian." He leaned over, placing his sled on the snow and got into a ready position. Damian copied his movements. "Ready." Damian turned from Dick to the hill, already calculating just how hard he would need to push off to make it to the bottom first. "Set." Damian's muscles tensed in preparation. "Go!"

Both boys pushed off from the ground and leapt onto their sleds. The bottom of the hill wasn't too far away. Damian was sure he could beat Dick. Unfortunately, controlling this blasted sled was a lot harder than he thought it would be and he soon found himself involuntarily veering off to the side while Dick continued straight down the hill. Realizing that he'd already lost, Damian stopped and got up from the sled. He watched as Dick made it to the bottom of the hill and also stood up, picking up his sled, clutching his stomach as he laughed.

Damian narrowed his eyes, making a point of glaring at the older man as he made his way towards Damian. "You cheated somehow," Damian insisted when Dick had gotten close enough to hear him.

"I did not," Dick promised. "You just underestimated my sledding prowess."

"Well I don't want to sled anymore," Damian said, dropping his sled.

"Aw, come on, Damian. Don't be such a sore loser. We should just sled for fun anyways!"

"I'm done. It isn't fun."

Dick was hurt. "But Damian, you-"

"I don't want to sled anymore, Grayson!"

"Okay," Dick said sadly, looking around at the snow. He then turned back to Damian with a hopeful look. "We could make a snowman." Damian did not seem pleased by this idea. "It'll be fun. We can make it look like Batman if you want. Or, you know, whatever you want to make it look like." Damian sighed. Dick was getting into his pouting mood and would not stop whining until Damian agreed to at least _try_ to have fun.

"Fine. I'll help you make a snowman."

Dick's eyes lit up. "Really? Awesome!" Dick turned around and headed for a nice spot with a lot of untouched snow. "I'll start working on the butt if you want to go for the middle section."

Damian rolled his eyes as he watched Dick kneel down in the snow and begin the snow together into a tight ball, a smile ever-present on his face. _Honestly, Grayson, you're such a child sometimes. _Damian followed the older man's lead and knelt down in the snow next to him, working on packing snow into a ball of his own.

"Have you ever built a snowman before, Damian?" Dick asked as he started rolling the ball around in the snow near him.

"No," was Damian's terse answer.

Dick turned to Damian and smiled. "We'll just have to make this one extra special then."

It took them nearly an hour, but soon they had a finished snowman. Well, almost finished. He was still missing arms because Dick didn't like any of the sticks they had found. They apparently weren't good enough for the snowman, an argument that Damian did not understand. It was a pile of snow. Surely it did not care what sticks were shoved into its side.

"Alright, you stay here and make sure no one knocks him over. I'm going to go see if I can find some better sticks," Dick said, pointing to a tree a few feet away. "That one looks promising."

As Dick walked away, Damian examined the snowman. They had just finished his face. Apparently, Dick had brought along not only a carrot specifically for this purpose, but he also apparently kept rocks in the penthouse for this purpose as well. Dick had ultimately settled on twisting a small twig into a smile for the snowman's mouth, despite Damian's preference that the snowman not be as cheerful as Grayson insisted he should be. Grayson's argument was that all snowmen should be happy and it would be mean for them to make him a sad or angry snowman. Again, Damian did not understand why he was supposed to care so much about the snow's _feelings_.

Damian turned towards the tree Dick had gone off towards only to see that he was no longer on the ground, but halfway up the tree, reaching for one of the nearby branches. Damian sighed, but watched as Dick stretched his arm as far as he could. Still, he was too short. He dared to put a little more weight on the branch underneath him. This branch would in no way be able to withstand all of his weight, but was somehow holding out for now, much to Damian's surprise. That thought came too soon, however. As soon as Dick grasped the branch he was reaching for, he lost his grip on the tree and fell to the ground.

Dick's fall did not discourage him. He stood right up and turned to Damian. He held up the branches triumphantly as he wiped the snow off of his backside. He returned to the snowman, holding out the branches for Damian to see.

"We'll have to tear off some of the twigs." Dick handed one of the sticks to Damian. "You work on this one. Leave enough at one of the ends so that he has some fingers." Damian stared down at the branch, then looked over at Dick who was tearing the smaller twigs off of his. Damian copied him and did as he had instructed and left a few twigs on the end. "And then we just shove them into the side," Dick said, taking his stick and poking it into the snowman's middle section. "Damian, you put yours on the other side." Damian obeyed and the pair stepped back to admire the snowman. "Oh, wait!" Dick exclaimed. He rushed forward again. He took of his own hat and scarf and put them on the snowman before returning to stand next to Damian again.

"There," he said, draping his arm over Damian's shoulder. "Isn't he great?"

Damian eyed the snowman, then looked up at Dick. "If you say so."

"He is! I'm telling you right now that this is the best snowman I've ever made," Dick said.

"What's so special about it?" Damian asked, honestly not understanding what the big deal was.

Dick laughed. "We built it _together_, Damian. That's what's special about it." Dick looked down at him and smiled.

Damian blinked, surprised, and turned back to the snowman, while Dick stepped away from Damian. Sure it was just a pile of snow, but he and Dick had built that together. He hadn't realized it at the time, but making this thing had actually been… mildly entertaining. A small smile graced Damian's lips. Maybe the snow wasn't _so_ bad.

Splat!

A chill ran through Damian's whole body as ice cold snow collided with his cheek. Damian clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he turned in the direction the snow had come from to see Dick doubled over in laughter. _I take everything back, _Damian thought._ I _hate _the snow. _

"Got'cha!"

"Grayson!" Damian growled.

"That was payback for earlier," Dick called. Furious, Damian leaned over and began to gather enough snow for another snowball while Dick tried to run away. Damian chased after him, cursing loudly as he pelted his snowball at the back of the older man's head.

They went back home shortly after that, when Dick complained of being too cold and wet to continue their fight. Waiting for them were mugs filled with hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies (it was times like this when Damian swore their butler was secretly psychic). After changing out of their cold, wet clothes, Dick and Damian curled up on the couch with their treats, huddled under several layers of blankets, preparing for when Batman and Robin would venture back out into the snow.

* * *

A winter-themed story for a beautiful spring day (well, in New York it is anyways)! I seem to be developing a pattern of uploading on Sundays, so the next chapter will probably be a Mother's Day chapter.


	4. Mother's Day

Happy belated Mother's Day! I had intended to post this yesterday, but I just didn't have the time. So here it is a day late.

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I just like to play with them sometimes.

**Robin's First Mother's Day**

Something wasn't right with Grayson. He seemed sadder than usual. He wasn't his usual cheerful self and that ever-present smile had faded from his face. His eyes lacked the spark that Damian had grown so accustomed to seeing in them. At first Damian had suspected that the man was merely sick, but he knew that Pennyworth would be fussing over him if that were the case. No, this was something else.

"Morning, Dami," Dick said with a forced smile when Damian emerged from his bedroom. There it was again, that fake smile. Instead of calling him out on it, Damian merely scoffed. Dick ignored it and continued putting his shoes on.

"Where are you going, Grayson?" Damian asked.

"Shopping. Do you want to come?" Dick asked. Before Damian got the chance to answer, Dick continued. "Actually, don't answer that. You're coming. Although I don't like Talia very much, she is still your mother and it might be nice for you to get her a card."

"Why does my mother need a card?" Damian challenged.

"Because Mother's Day is tomorrow, of course," Dick said, mildly surprised that Damian had no idea what he was talking about. Damian merely stared at him with a blank expression. "Well now you have to come if you and your mom have never celebrated Mother's Day before. That's just unacceptable, Damian, and I know it's not your fault, but-"

"Grayson. Stop talking. I do not want to come."

"Well, too bad. I've already made up your mind for you and you're coming."

Damian insisted that this wasn't necessary, but Dick dragged him along anyways. They were currently standing in a store called Hallmark. This particular store seemed to specialize in greeting cards. Everywhere Damian looked, he saw them: cards wishing the recipient a happy birthday, cards with well wishes and 'thank you's, cards that sang, cards that are supposed to make you laugh, and many more. Grayson was currently standing in front of a rack consisting of cards that were light in color and too "girly" for Damian's taste.

"They're not for you, they're for your mother," Grayson said when Damian had pointed out the pastel colors and sneered at the flowers that were present on most of the cards.

Dick then immersed himself in the cards, methodically picking up each one and reading its contents before moving on to the next. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Damian merely standing by his side, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. With a sigh, Dick pulled out a card from the nearest slot and handed it to Damian. "Just read some and pick out the one that you think your mom will like the best."

Damian reluctantly took the card and looked it over. He silently read it to himself before putting it back in the slot and taking out the next one. Again, this card was not to his liking and he returned it to its slot. He continued this pattern, growing increasingly frustrated as he read each new card. Dick, meanwhile, had found a card that he liked and returned to Damian.

"Grayson, every single one of these cards is full of utter nonsense," Damian said, as he angrily shoved the card he had just skimmed back into its place. "Mother would not approve of any of these."

"Why not? They're cute," Dick said.

"Exactly."

"Hmm." Dick looked at the cards thoughtfully. "I guess they don't have any that say, 'thanks for teaching me everything you know about how to be an assassin,' huh?" Dick chuckled, but Damian's expression remained stoic. "Well, hey, it's the thought that counts. I'm sure she'll appreciate the gesture."

"I don't like any of them."

"You're just too picky," Dick insisted, turning back to the shelf. Finally, he pointed to a card with some cartoony cats on the front. "How about this one? I know how much you like cats."

Damian made a sound of disgust before turning and walking away, deciding to occupy himself with something other than those sickening cards. Dick frowned, but started after Damian. He paused, however, and turned back to the wall of cards thoughtfully. He reached out and took the card with the cats on it as well as an envelope. Maybe Damian would change his mind later.

"I have to check out, Damian, and then we'll go," Dick announced to the boy who was waiting impatiently.

Damian narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Why are you getting a card, Grayson? Isn't your mother-" Damian suddenly trailed off, realizing that what he was about to say could be considered hurtful.

Dick merely offered him a sad smile. "I still buy her one. Every Mother's Day I take flowers to her grave and read her the card I bought for her." Damian remained silent as Dick approached the counter and paid for his card. When he finished, Dick thanked the cashier and wished her a wonderful day before exiting the store with Damian trailing along behind him.

Damian wanted to return home, but Dick insisted on dragging him along to his next destination: the flower shop. Damian suggested staying in the car and waiting for Dick to return, but Dick vetoed that suggestion immediately. And so Damian found himself standing amongst rows and rows of flowers.

"Good morning," the florist greeted as they entered, "here for your Mother's Day shopping?"

"Yes," Dick responded with a smile. "Do you deliver internationally?"

"We do," the florist said.

"Awesome! We'll need two bouquets, then."

"Two?" Damian asked. "Grayson, I'm sure my mother does not want flowers. What would be the purpose? They will simply wither and die in a few days."

"Nonsense, Dami. We're sending your mom a bouquet," Dick protested. Dick turned back to the florist.

"Do you know what types of flowers you want to include?" the florist asked.

"Ah, yes," Dick said, "we'll need some tulips, some lilacs, some irises…." Dick was thoughtful for a moment. "Oh! And maybe some lilies too." The florist offered him a bright smile before getting to work on the bouquet.

While she worked, Dick approached Damian, who was looking around the shop, his eyes narrowed. "So you and your mom never celebrated Mother's Day before?" Dick asked.

"Of course not," Damian responded, turning his head up towards Dick, giving him a look as if to ask if Dick was serious. "Why would we?" Dick frowns, trying not to look like he pities Damian. Unfortunately, he can't hide it from Damian. "Why are you looking at me like that, Grayson? It is certainly not as big a deal as you're making it out to be. Mother and I did not have time for such foolish traditions." Dick's expression changed, but Damian couldn't quite place it so he settled for glaring at the older man. Finally, Dick turned and walked away, going back to the florist.

Dick paid for the bouquets and had the one for Talia overnighted to her. Before leaving, he turned to Damian and asked if there was anything he would like to write for his mother on the tag to which Damian responded negatively.

The next morning Damian watched as Dick solemnly ate his breakfast before gathering the card and bouquet and heading for the door. Against his better judgment, Damian approached him on his way out. "I wish to accompany you," Damian said. Dick was certainly taken aback by this.

"You do? Why?"

"I want to see what all of the fuss is about." Damian wouldn't admit that he was worried about his brother. The only other time Damian had seen the man this somber was after the death of their father.

"I'm going to my mother's grave, Dami. I'll probably be there a while because we have a lot to catch up on. It won't be all that exciting, I'm just warning you now." Damian merely shrugged. Dick smiled. He was used to doing this alone, in private, but he didn't mind having Damian tag along. "I can finally introduce you to her."

They arrived at the cemetery not long after that. They exited the car and Damian followed as Dick made his way through the cemetery towards his parents' graves. Dick led Damian through the graveyard, finally stopping in front of two graves marked with the names John and Mary Grayson.

"Well," he said, "here we are." Dick knelt down and gently laid the bouquet of flowers in the ground in front of the headstone. "Good morning, Mom. Happy Mother's Day." He stood back up and turned around to Damian. "I brought a guest today, I hope you don't mind." Damian had been hanging back, simply watching Dick, but he reluctantly stepped forward when Grayson waved him closer. "This is Damian, my little brother," Dick said, placing his hand on Damian's shoulder. "You've heard me talk about him before." Dick turned to Damian with a smile. "Only good things, of course."

"Tt."

"He's cute when he's scowly, isn't he?"

"Argh, Grayson!" Damian growled, shoving Dick's hand off of his shoulder and stepping away, out of his reach. "I already regret coming along with you and it's hardly been ten minutes."

Dick merely chuckled as Damian sat down cross-legged a few feet away and proceeded to glare at him, producing his iPod from his jean pocket and shoving the earbuds in his ears. "Yeah, that's Damian for you." Deciding that Damian would be okay listening to his music for a bit, Dick continued, taking the card that he bought out of its envelope as he, too, sat down in front of the grave.

"Even though we're apart, I'm still thinking about you on this day when we celebrate the amazing women in our lives. The women who have taken us in and straightened us out, who have whisked away our excuses and given us hope and self-respect in their place. Thank you for hugging me through hard times, nudging me through stubborn times and loving me through all times. I love you, Mom." Dick closed the card and looked up at the grave. "I wish you could have been here to watch me grow up." He smiled. "And then you could read this card yourself." Dick snuck a brief glance at Damian who was pretending that he hadn't been watching the whole time.

"He doesn't realize how much I envy him," Dick said. "He doesn't realize how lucky he is to still have his mother, but he takes that for granted. I mean, I guess he doesn't really have quite the same relationship with Talia as I did with you, but I know that she loves him."

Dick talked to his mother for about an hour, catching her up on whatever happened to come to his mind about the past few weeks. Damian sat in silence behind him, listening to his music. Finally, when Dick was finished, he stood up, kissed the tips of his fingers and gently placed them on the gravestone before doing the same to his father's.

When they returned to the penthouse, the first thing Dick did was run to Alfred, throw his arms around him, and wish him a happy Mother's Day. Alfred chuckled and returned the hug. Damian was immensely confused. "Grayson, you do realize that Pennyworth is not your mother, nor is he capable of _being_ a mother."

"Well of course Alfred isn't my mom, but sometimes motherly affection can come from the most unexpected sources. Alfred certainly cares about me just as much as a mother would." Dick laughed. "When I was younger I used to joke about how he was always on my case about cleaning my room more often than my real mom was."

"When you were younger, Sir? If I recall your room is just as untidy _today_ as it was then."

Dick gave him a sheepish look, rubbing the back of his head guiltily. "Heh. Sorry, Alfred!" Dick then turned to Damian. "See what I mean?"

"Tt."

Damian went to the living room to watch TV after that. He wasn't there long before Alfred entered the room, looking for him. "Master Damian, you have a phone call," he announced. Damian was surprised, to say the least. Who would be calling him? Curious, Damian got up and followed Alfred to the kitchen and held the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Hello, Damian." It was his mother.

"Mother. What are you-"

"I received a lovely bouquet from you this morning. I was calling to say thank you," Talia said, genuinely grateful for Damian's gift.

"Oh, well it was Grayson's idea…," Damian said, sheepishly.

"I appreciate it just the same, my love," she said. Damian smiled. Somehow, Grayson had been right.

"Happy Mother's Day," Damian said.

She hung up shortly after that, claiming that she had important business to tend to. Damian had to admit that he wasn't expecting that and it was a pleasant surprise. Damian sought out Dick afterwards and found him in the kitchen making cookies with Alfred.

"Grayson!" Damian demanded.

Dick, in the process of shoving a chunk of cookie dough into his mouth, turned around. "Yeah, Damian?"

"Happy Mother's Day," Damian said rather stoically.

Dick tilted his head in confusion. "What? But-"

"From what I gather, this holiday is about showing appreciation for the people who care for us and protect us and mentor us." A slight pinkish color had begun to overtake Damian's cheeks. "And so, that is what I am doing."

Gradually, the realization hit Dick and a huge smile appeared on his lips and he crossed the length of the room, knelt down, and wrapped his arms around Damian. "Thank you, Dami."

"You don't need to hug me, Grayson," Damian protested, standing stiff as a board.

"Yes I do," Dick retorted, not loosening his grip in the slightest. Damian sighed and resigned himself to enduring the hug. It really wasn't so bad.

* * *

AN: In case anyone is wondering, I prefer the versions of Talia where she _is_ a relatively caring mother.


End file.
